IQ&EQ
by Croc9400
Summary: "People with high IQ have very very low EQ," Those words have haunted Paige since the moment she heard them. She didn't believe it when she first heard it but in the months past she's learned it's true. She has made it her duty to make Walter feel emotion, but she's failed miserably. Then something tragic happens that may just accomplish her task. I don't own Scorpion
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Ok guys," Walter said, "off site job. All fun and games up in Derek Sunbeam's mansion,"

"Derek Sunbeam?" Paige asked, in shock, "isn't he like a millionaire?"

"Billionaire," Toby said, "and it doesn't take a behaviorist to know that he's probably a jerk,"

"Aw come on, Toby. You don't even know him,"

"Eh, I've met billionaires before. I don't like em. They're shifty,"

"Shifty? Seriously?" Paige laughed, while helping Walter pack his things. She glanced up at Walter, who kept a straight face. There it was, just another failed attempt to get Walter to show emotion. He had said when they first met that people with high IQ have low EQ. The others weren't like Walter. Toby and Happy obviously had some strong emotions towards each other, and Sylvester was a person all his own. Walter was like a robot, and Paige was determined to get him to show emotion.

They all got in the car, and Cabe drove them to the house. When they arrived, Toby immediately scanned everybody in the area. There were security guards around the house, but all looked innocent enough. They all went inside, and again, Toby scanned the room. A woman in a red dress approached them.

"Hi," she held out her hand to Walter, "I am Mr. Sunbeam's assistant, Hallie,"

"Walter," he smiled a smile Paige knew meant nothing. A smile Paige knew he practiced in the mirror every night; trying to become more relatable. A smile Paige was helping him with.

"So what seems to be the problem?" Walter asked.

"There is something wrong with Mr. Sunbeam's security system," she said, "you can follow me to the security room,"

"Is there any chance you have any details on the situation?" Walter asked.

"No, you'd have to ask Mr. Sunbeam that,"

"Is there anyway I could speak with him?"

"I don't know. He's very busy, but I'll see if he can come down," she stopped in front of a door, and unlocked it, "here is the security room. You can begin doing whatever it is you do, and I'll try and find Mr. Sunbeam,"

"Something's up here," Toby said as soon as she was out of earshot, "she's too tense for a normal assistant,"

"This is a billionaire's house, there's always something up," Walter said, opening his laptop, "and don't worry, I noticed it as well. Happy, check the wiring, make sure there's nothing there that shouldn't be there. Sylvester and Toby you guys scan the area surrounding the house, make sure nothing outside is effecting the inside, and Toby keep an eye on people,"

Everyone went off to do their respective tasks. Walter bit his lip, then easily hacked the security system. He began scanning through the lines of code as the door opened.

"Mr. O'Brien," the man, supposedly Mr. Sunbeam stepped into the room. He extended his hand to Walter. Walter waited just a split second before shaking it, to give Toby a moment to observe. Toby had gotten his moment. He immediately stood up, and walked towards Walter.

"Something's up. I have a feeling..." Toby began whispering in Walter's ear, but it was too late. Derek Sunbeam took out a gun, and placed the barrel on Walter's stomach.

Everyone's expressions changed. Toby's looked as if he had seen it coming, which he did. Happy and Cabe were shocked. Paige and Sylvester looked genuinely scared. Walter's expression was completely unphased. He glanced down at the gun against his chest.

"Two more seconds, Walter," Toby said, "you couldn't have given me two more seconds,"

"Hey," Derek said, "quiet,"

Walter took this opportunity to step to the side, and kick the gun out of Derek's hand. It flew through the air, as it came down towards the ground, Walter caught it. He kicked Derek in the stomach, deeper into the room, towards Paige. Then Walter raised the gun, and pointed it at Derek.

"Thanks for the two seconds, Toby," Walter said.

"Don't take your gaze off him," Toby said, "but there are six security guards right outside the door, ready to strike,"

"Good to know," Walter said. Toby looked at Derek, who was surveying the situation.

"PAIGE! MOVE! NOW!" Toby shouted, but it was too late. Derek grabbed her, and pulled her through another door in the back of the room. The security guards burst into the room, and came after them. hey dropped smoke bombs on the floor. Two of them grabbed Walter, but he managed to fight them off. One he punched in the face, the other he shot in the foot. He managed to make his way through the smoke, and out the door.

"PAIGE!" he shouted. He saw a door down the hallway closing. He ran faster than he had ever thought humanly possible, and pushed through the doorway. They were in a stone stairwell. He didn't know whether to go up or down.

"PAIGE!" he shouted again.

"WALTER!" the sound was coming from above him. He turned, and charged up the stairs, "WALTER!"

"Paige! I'm coming!" Walter shouted, "don't...worry,"

He made it to the top of the stairwell. There was one doorway he could go through. He took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

On the other side was Derek, with Paige, and a knife to her neck. Walter swallowed, and raised the gun; pointing it at Derek.

"Drop the gun," he said, smiling. Walter bit his lip, but refused the drop the gun. Derek drew the knife closer to Paige's throat, and she drew in a sharp breath, for she could now feel the cold metal against her skin. He dug the tip of the knife into her skin, making a small cut in her neck. Walter dropped the gun on the gravel.

"That's better," he said.

"What do you want?" Walter asked.

"Funny you should ask that Mr. O'Brien," he smiled, lowering the knife away from Paige's throat a little. Walter heard a distant cry of his name. He immediately recognized the voice as Toby's. He prayed Toby wouldn't find them, because he knew it could ruin everything.

Then Walter heard a helicopter. He turned, and saw one flying towards the building. It drew closer as Toby's voice grew louder. Derek began talking again, but Walter couldn't hear what he was saying. He took a step closer, but Derek placed the knife closer to Paige's throat, so Walter again stepped back. The helicopter drew closer, and landed on the roof.

Derek put the knife away, and grabbed Paige's shirt.

"TELL RALPH THE TRUTH!" she shouted. Walter nodded, as Derek shoved her into the helicopter. He hopped inside, and closed the door. Walter picked up the gun, and fired it towards the helicopter, but since Walter didn't have the best aim, he missed, and it bounced off the blade. Then the helicopter took off and flew away.

The door burst open, and Toby ran through. Happy was on his heels, followed by Sylvester and Cabe.

"Where's Paige?" Toby asked, out of breath. Walter just raised the gun, and pointed to the helicopter, that was now just a small speck in the sky.

"We've gotta get Ralph," Walter sighed, "tell him the truth of what happened,"

"Do you know what Derek wants with Paige?" Happy asked.

"No idea," Walter said. That was a lie. He had an idea, he knew why Derek had taken Paige. He could read lips. The thing about having a low EQ was that it made you a much better liar, not even Toby could discover you.

"Are you nervous, Walter?" Happy asked.

"No. I'm not nervous," Walter replied, "we'll find her. I have no reason to be,"

Happy nodded, and backed off. Walter tucked the gun in the back of his pants, and began walking towards the door. Then Cabe pulled the gun from the back of Walter's pants.

"What the hell?" Walter asked, throwing his arms up.

"If you go out on to civilian streets with a gun tucked in your pants, you'll get arrested," Cabe said.

"Yeah, well, I'm not walking around without a gun on me, incase he comes back,"

"You seem to do a pretty good job at handling yourself,"

"Fine. Whatever. Keep the gun," Walter said, "just know that if you lose me too, you're screwed,"

Walter threw the door open, and went down the stairs. Toby quickly followed after him.

"Yes, sir," Cabe said sarcastically, and followed. Then Sylvester made his way cautiously down the stairs, holding his fingers like he always did. Happy glanced up at the little tiny blip in front of the sun that was the helicopter Paige was sitting in. Happy had grown close to Paige over the past few months, and was truly devastated that she had been kidnapped, or at least as devastated as a person with her IQ could be. She pushed the door opened, and began walking down the stairs. She was far behind the others. She couldn't risk calling out to them, but she couldn't risk getting separated either. She had to make the decision whether to get off where they had came from, or continue down the stairs. She heard voices above. That made up her mind, she was going down the stairs.

Cabe and Walter were in the front seat of the car. Toby and Sylvester were in the back. Cabe had the car started, and Walter was anxiously tapping his foot. Then Walter's phone rang. He scrambled to get it out of his pocket. He looked a little disappointed when he saw the caller ID, but only Toby noticed. Walter answered the phone.

"Happy, what's up? Where are you?" Walter asked.

"I'm coming out of the mansion. I see the car, open the trunk,"

"Why?"

"Just open the damn trunk!" she shouted, and hung up.

"Open the trunk," Walter said urgently. Cabe pressed the button on the door that opened the trunk. It began opening slowly as Happy ran out of the mansion. She was being chased by three security guards. She launched herself into the trunk of the car.

"Close the trunk!" she shouted. Cabe pressed the button that closed the trunk, and began driving. The security guards got in cars of their own, and began chasing after them. They got on the highway, and went in the opposite direction of the garage.

"Where are you going?" Sylvester asked.

"Not to the garage," Cabe replied.

"Happy you've gotta get a seat belt on," Toby said. Happy nodded, and climbed into the back seat, sitting between the two boys.

"Hi," Toby smiled. Happy scoffed, and looked forward.

"LOOK OUT! RED!" she shouted.

"I see it," Cabe said. He hit the gas harder, and they sped towards the red light. He made a right turn, and got rear ended by a minivan. He got beeped at by many cars, but they lost the security guards.

Everyone was breathing heavily as they made their way quickly back to the garage. Cabe dropped them off, gave Walter a gun, and went to get rid of the car. Sylvester made sure the door was bolted shut. Toby and Happy began watching security footage of the city while Walter went upstairs. He put the gun down on a ledge, and sat down on the couch. He began replaying everything that had happened, and began cursing at himself; thinking of things he could've done differently to save Paige. He just didn't understand while Derek wanted...

"Walter!" his thought was interrupted by Toby's call for him, "you better come down here! We found something!"

Walter stood up. He grabbed the gun, and made his way down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Walter made his way down the stairs, his gun at the ready. When the main garage came into view, he dropped it to the side, seeing just three geniuses surrounding a set of computer screens. He tucked it into his pants, and ran down the stairs.

"This happened ten minutes ago," Toby said. Walter came over to the screen, and noticed Happy biting her knuckles. He decided not to mention anything. He reached down, and played the video. Paige and Derek were walking outside the train station, and he pushed her inside.

"Is that it?" Walter asked.

"Yes," Happy said, "there's no security cameras inside that train station,"

"Damn it," Walter said, turning his back to the screens. Then they heard a car. Walter pulled the gun from the back of his pants, and moved towards the door. Toby ran to the door, and unlocked everything. Walter nodded, and Toby threw the door open, stepping aside. Walter moved forward, pointing the gun out the door. It was just Cabe and Ralph.

"What the hell, Walter?" Cabe scolded, pushing Ralph through the door.

"Sorry. We just didn't know," Walter said, tucking the gun back in his pants. Sylvester quickly ran to the door, and bolted it shut again. The apology he gave was meaningless, and there was no one there to notice it. For Toby, it was just normal Walter to not show emotion, which made him very hard to read. Toby would never admit it, but it gnawed away at him everyday. He was able to tell everything about a person's current mood just by looking at them, Walter was the one person in the world he wasn't able to read. He could read everyone in the room. Cabe was concerned that he would lose to Walter in this fight, Sylvester was nervous that a group of gunmen was going to burst down the door any minute, Happy was missing something, there was a void left there by Paige that needed to be filled. Toby wanted to be the one to fill it.

Then Toby glanced to Ralph. The young genius was listening to Walter, who was speaking quietly. No emotion showed on either of their faces. It was then that Toby knew, that Ralph would be just as difficult to read as Walter, maybe even harder. Toby studied them more, and he noticed the smallest bit of emotion in Walter's features. He was biting his knuckles, and constantly wiping his forehead.

"Happy, check this out," Toby whispered, "Walter O'Brien is showing emotion,"

I don't see any," Happy said.

"Really?" Toby asked, shocked. He thought it was clear as day that Walter was showing signs of nervousness, "I am that good?"

"Sure you are,"

"Hey, I know you're an above average mechanic, and you know I'm an above average behaviorist, and we keep it at that,"

"Yeah, in my mind," she walked away. Toby gave her a weird look, but then knew exactly what she meant. She thinks that he wants to be 'more than friends'. Toby would've laughed if it weren't true, but it was true. Happy was the only girl to ever accept him for who he was. He made great first impressions, but then his instincts took over, and he told them everything about themselves, the good and the bad. That's always been where he lost them, not Happy though. She heard him out because she had been in his position before, she had been isolated because of what she could do. It was hard on all of them, but she still had a pretty low EQ, along with Toby, so it didn't affect them much.

Toby had thought about trying to pursue a romantic relationship with Paige, but then he saw how much Walter connected with Ralph, and how much of a connect she had with him. It didn't go both ways though, Walter felt nothing. Toby decided to back off Paige after seeing their connection, in hopes that maybe she could wake up an emotional side in Walter. Then Toby would be able to read him.

"Are you trying to read me, Toby?" Walter asked. Toby snapped out of his thoughts, and back to reality.

"Psshh. No," Toby scoffed.

"Really? Because you've been staring at me for ten minutes,"

"It's been that long?" Toby asked.

"So did you find anything interesting?"

"No. You're the same emotionless robot you always are," Toby said. That was one thing Walter's analytical brain made him hate about himself. The fact that he couldn't connect with people killed him. He always picked apart everything he did wrong in every situation he was in. Ninety percent of the time it was because he couldn't relate with people. That is why he messed up; that is why he wasn't perfect. That was why he was different.

"Ok, so we know that Derek took Paige into the train station at 1:30 this afternoon," Walter said, breaking away from Toby, "someone find out where all trains were going in between then and two this afternoon,"

Ralph walked over to Walter with a piece of paper in his hand. He handed it to Walter. Walter, looking confused, took the paper.

"Well it looks like Ralph is one step ahead of us," Walter smiled his fake smile at the boy. He handed the list to Sylvester, "find out the most probable places they could've gone,"

Sylvester nodded, and went over to his chalkboard. Walter bit his knuckles while Sylvester quickly wrote down numbers.

"Ok there is a 3% chance they are in Cleveland, a 7% chance they are in Seattle, a 12% chance they are in Dallas, and a 78% chance they are in Las Vegas,"

Toby perked up to the name of the city he had gained...and lost, so much in.

"Alright. Ok," Walter turned, biting his knuckles, "Ok. We're going to split up, Sylvester you..."

"I call Las Vegas," Toby said, smiling, and stepping towards Walter.

"No, you are not going to Vegas," Walter said.

"Why not?" Toby whined.

"Remember what happened the last time you were in Vegas?" Walter asked. Toby shut up, "Sylvester you and Happy will go to Cleveland, Toby, you'll go to Seattle, Cabe you'll go to Dallas, and Ralph and I will go to Las Vegas,"

"Aw come on!" Toby said, "the nine year old gets to go to Vegas?!"

"It's the most likely place his mom is, and he can't gamble," Walter said, "Happy and Sylvester, take a train, leave now, so you can make it by morning. Cabe, you leave as well. Toby, you can wait til later tonight before you leave,"

"Walter," Cabe called. Walter turned and faced him. Cabe held out a black case to him, "be careful,"

Cabe turned and left. Happy and Sylvester said their goodbyes before leaving the garage. Walter opened the black leather case. Inside was a homeland security badge.

"Woah. Cabe gave you a badge!" Toby said, shocked.

"Well, I have a gun. Like Cabe said, I can't go wondering civilized streets with a gun, and without a badge. Now, I have a badge," Walter walked away. Cabe sighed, and looked over at Ralph, who was watching Walter go up the stairs. That's when he realized, Ralph had a better connection with Walter, than he ever would with his mother.

The sun was setting, and Walter was sitting on the edge of the roof, with his feet dangling over. He was thinking of when he barbecued up there with Paige, who was now gone because he wasn't two seconds faster, if he wasn't concerned about accidentally hitting Paige with a bullet, being more sure of himself. Then he heard the door open. He swung his legs back over, and took the gun out. He pointed it at the door. Toby immediately put his hands up.

"Sorry, Toby," Walter said, "I didn't know if it was you,"

"It's fine," Toby replied, letting the door shut.

"Where's Ralph?" Walter asked.

"Downstairs," Toby replied, "I printed him out some calculus homework. He should be there a while,"

"By that you mean ten minutes?"

"Yeah,"

"You know, the other night, I was up here with Paige," Walter said, "we were sitting right over there," he pointed to where he had just been sitting, "we were talking about Ralph, and how far he had come since he met us, how much more open he was to trying new things. Then we started talking about his safety, and everyone else's safety, getting involved with the government like this, how it could easily become a risk if we met the wrong person. She wanted to knock on wood. I told her not to; said that it was pointless, now I think I should've let her,"

"Is Walter O'Brien actually giving into superstitions?" Toby asked, surprised.

"No. Just, maybe it would've made her feel better. We were sitting on the edge of the roof. Either of us could've die, but neither of us did. We both decided to stay here, to continue on with this risk. Then it became too much of a risk, and now Paige is missing,"

"Walter..."

"Don't waste your breath on comforting words. We've already been over this, they don't work with me,"

"Do you want me to just leave?"

"Yes please. Give Ralph more calculus, it'll keep his mind off things,"

"Ok," Toby turned away.

"Oh, and Toby," Walter said, "you should leave soon,"

"Yes sir," Toby gave a small salute, and went back inside, pondering whether or not he should leave Walter alone with Ralph. But he didn't really have a choice, if they wanted to get Paige back quicker. He sighed and went downstairs. He printed Ralph out some more calculus, grabbed his hat, and left the garage. To the train station, and sadly, not to Vegas.

**AN: ****Alright so I promised myself if this got over 10 followers(it did), I'd post another chapter before Sunday. It's 11:30 EST, not Sunday. Anyway, may not be able to update as often as this, and any new elements that are thrown into the show, I will definitely throw into the mix here. Enjoy, guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Walter woke Ralph up early the next morning, before the sun was even up. The two got dressed, and gathered the stuff they packed the previous night in silence. Walter took the young boys hand, and the two walked out into the cool autumn morning air. Cool, more like cold. The sun wasn't up. Walter exhaled, and his breath was clearly visible. He was always cold. His ears and nose began turning red. Ralph took off his hat, and offered it to Walter. Walter politely refused, and the two made it on their way.

The train station was in walking distance, so they were there within minutes. Given that it was 5 am, it wasn't very crowded. Ralph was the youngest person in the station. Walter got them tickets for the 515 train to Vegas. They got on, and they were on their way.

It was seven am when Walter's phone rang. This woke up Ralph, who was sleeping. He looked up at Walter, who answered the phone.

"Toby," Walter said, "what's up? Are you ok?"

"Well, that depends, define ok," Toby said.

"Not bleeding, dying, injured or kidnap,"

"Oh. Well, then, no,"

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I'm in downtown Seattle, a few miles from the train station, and I saw one of the security guards who was at Derek house. He was looked nervous, so obviously he was hiding something,"

"Obviously,"

"Anyway, I began following him, from a distance. After about four blocks he recognized me, and took off. I ran after him. He led me up onto a roof, where he shot me in the hand!"

"He shot you in the hand?!"

"Yes. I managed to take the bullet out and bandage it up, but it's still hurts like hell,"

"So did you just ran away?"

"No. I ran towards him. I tackled him towards the edge of the roof. I was going to push him off, but the guy took out a knife, and cut my forehead,"

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No. I'm fine, but he got away, and I wasn't able to follow him,"

"It's fine, Toby. Don't worry about it. They've got a kidnapped person, so they wouldn't risk the airport, too much security. They'd do the train station, so Toby, go hang out there, and call the other. Also, if they go to leave Seattle, don't stop them, just figure out where they're going. Ralph and I will be there soon,"

"Alright," Toby hung up. Then Walter looked down at Ralph.

"Change in plans, Ralph. Toby found your mom, we're getting off at the next stop, then we're going to Seattle,"

Ralph nodded. He knew the idea of rescuing his mother should excite him, make him feel happy, but he didn't. He'd spent enough time studying people to know how he should react in different situations. He then realized he wasn't human, humans were just something else he observed, just this something he needed to emulate in order to fit in. He had never felt that way with his mother, or his so called "friends" at school. Happy was his friend, Toby was his friend, Sylvester was his friend, and most of all, Walter was his friend. Ralph viewed Walter more as the father figure in his life. The parental figure really. Walter understand Ralph, understood what it was like to be him because fifteen years Walter was in the exact same position as Ralph. That was how he connected with Walter; _that_ is how he was closer with Walter than he had ever been with his mother.

They got off the train at the next stop. They were in a small station in Barstow, California. They had to sit at the station for a while before the train for Seattle came. The two got some breakfast while they waited. Walter also explained some small coding things to Ralph, who took all the information in eagerly.

Walter felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. Like they were being watched. Walter perked up a little, discreetly looking around. Ralph noticed what Walter was doing, and did the same. Each saw the station from a different frame of reference, it made them not have to look over their shoulders. Made it look like they weren't looking for something.

Ralph laid his hand on the table, with one finger pointing directly behind Walter. Walter did the same.

"We are being followed," Walter whispered. Ralph nodded. Walter took out his phone, and texted the others. He sent the message.

Both the man behind Walter, and the one behind Ralph looked at their phones the moment the text was delivered.

"I think they bugged your phone," Ralph said.

"Yeah, but when would they have been able to do that?" Walter asked, a little surprised that the young boy spoke.

"Maybe when you crashed into that man in the bathroom,"

"Maybe," Walter pondered, "the message I sent wasn't anything risky. I just said that we were heading to Seattle something they obviously already know. We need to get to a payphone,"

Ralph nodded then he stood up, and walked towards the door that led to the track. Walter finally got a look at the man behind him. This man was much bigger than the one who was behind Ralph, and obviously a lot more trained. He was bald, robust, and tall. He looked as if he had taken a few bullets in his life. The other man, the one who was behind Ralph was definitely skinnier, and younger than the bald one, but he still looked pretty strong, stronger than Walter anyway. He didn't know what their purpose was. Whether it was to grab the two of them, just to keep tabs on them, or to take them out. Walter had an idea of why they would be following them, but he wished he didn't. He wished he didn't have to tell Ralph.

"They're after me," Walter said quietly to the boy, "when I was on the roof before they took your mother, Derek said something. I couldn't hear it, but I read his lips. He said 'This should be you. She's replacing you. I'm coming for you',"

"Why are there two then?" Ralph asked, he was trying to figure out any possible answer for the question, but that was more of a Sylvester question.

"Well, the bald one is obviously for me," Walter said, "I'm assuming the smaller one is for you. As strong as the bald one is, he probably couldn't tale both us. He wants me, you'd probably just be insurance,"

Ralph nodded as they went to the payphone. Walter quickly put money in, and dialed Toby's number. Ralph looked around the corner, watching for the men.

"Who the hell are you?" Toby asked when he answered.

"Toby, thank god. It's Walter," he said.

"Why the hell are you calling me on a payphone?"

"We're being followed, they bugged my phone, and I haven't been out of their view long enough to debug it. Were about to get on the train to Seattle,"

"Yeah about that,"

"What?"

"They got on a train and left,"

"Oh my god. Ok, where did they go?"

"Portland,"

"Great. So we'll all meet in Seattle, then go to Portland,"

"That may be a problem,"

"Why?"

"Because I'm sitting in the same car as Paige,"

"You're what?!"

"I couldn't help it! I had to! She saw me, and I couldn't just let her go! She's scared Walter,"

"Ok. Oh god," Walter ran his fingers through his hair, then Ralph turned, and wildly shook his hands around, signalling him to put the phone down, "gotta go. They're coming. Text you when my phone's debugged,"

Walter threw the phone back on the hook, and, grabbing Ralph's hand, moved over to the track just as the bald man rounded the corner. The train came in, and stopped for them. Walter and Ralph got on, while the two men got on a few cars down. Walter sighed. This was going to be a long ride.

Toby shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his hoodie. He was keeping an eye on Paige out of the corner of his eye, while she kept glancing at him out of the corner of hers. After Toby had decided he wasn't going to try and get romantical with her, the two had become close friends. The two shared a bond in the way that she was a mother, and he was a behaviorist. Both could read people well. Each saw different parts in a person. Toby was very analytical, like anyone with a high IQ, when he saw something in a person, and tried to pinpoint why this was, he always took the practical, non-emotional side of things, mainly because he didn't have that side of him in himself, so it was hard to see in other people. Paige saw the emotional reasons a person would feel a certain way, or do a certain thing. It was her job as a mother to do that. She also was the only person who comforted him after he lost $200,000 dollars at the roulette wheel. Where Toby fell, Paige picked up, and vice versa. They complimented each other nicely.

Now they were stuck, pretending they didn't know each other, less than twenty feet apart; both their lives endangered. Paige's more directly than Toby's. Toby knew that if he was discovered, there's a good chance they would kidnap him as well. He tried to look the best he could like a college student. He then saw one of the men around Paige, talking to her. He was one of the security guards at Derek's house, and he glanced in Toby's direction at times. Toby's cover had been blown.

The behaviorist stood up, and took one last look at Paige. Her eyes said go, but he knew her heart said stay. She was nervous, she wanted him to stay, but she knew that if she did, there was less of a chance she was getting out of this alive. Toby slide open the door, and quickly walked between cars. He almost froze when he heard the door open again, but he just kept walking, increasing his speed as he went.

He went into the next car, which was colder than the rest. That's when he looked and realized he was at the end of the train. The next dor he would step through, would be the one onto the balcony, then out into desert.

This car was very deserted. There was no one in there, and that was understandable. It was cold. It also didn't help Toby's situation very much. Toby gulped, and began walking towards the balcony. Then he heard the door behind him slid open. He didn't dare turn around. Then he heard a gun cock. He took off towards the door. His hood flew down, revealing his hat. He heard a gunshot behind him, and he swerved to avoid the bullet that went whizzing past his ear. He made it out onto the balcony. He made the stupid, split second decision to open the balcony gates, and launch himself off the train.

**AN: ****Happy Monday! Scorpion is really the only thing that makes Monday tolerable. I had no homework so I decided to write another chapter to honor this lovely Scorpion Monday. Every week I will try to get out as many chapters as possible, but I promise you there will be one on Monday, and if not Tuesday. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Toby groaned as he sat up, and watched the train speed away. He had a difficult time staying seated, his chest hurt too much. He laid back down in the dirt. Then he took out his phone, and dialed Happy's number.

"Toby. What's up?" she said when she finally answered.

"I'm in a bit of a situation," he replied.

"What kind of a situation? What do you need from me?"

"Well, Walter told me to keep on Paige, to see if they left. They did, they got on a train to Portland. She saw me, and she was absolutely terrified. I couldn't just let her go. I got on the train, and well, I was caught. I had to jump off the train. Now I'm laying in the desert, and I think I broke a rib,"

"Good job," she said.

"If you could come get me that would be amazing," Toby said.

"Yeah. We'll be in Seattle in a half hour. Text me your coordinates,"

"I will, oh, and if you wanna leave Sylvester behind, I wouldn't mind that," Toby smiled a smile he knew she couldn't see, but Happy imagined it. She pictured the entire thing; the half smile he was making while he was laying down in the field, feet from the train tracks. She sighed because she had to come rescue him, when she wanted _him_ to have to rescue _her_. She wanted _him_ to have to ditch Sylvester, and come find _her_. Then she realized she was still on the phone with Toby. She put it up to her ear.

"You may want to get out of sight," Happy said, "if you can. If they know where you jumped, they'll probably send men after you. They seem resourceful enough,"

"They are. He was too cocky when he held the gun..."

"The _gun_?! Did you get shot _again_?!" Sylvester looked up at her because she never told him that Toby got shot in the first place. Happy gave him a weak smile, but that didn't stop him from interlacing his fingers, and begin to imagine all the possible ways and places Toby could've been shot. Happy gave him a look saying 'I'll tell you later'.

"No, no. I didn't get shot again," Toby pulled her back to their phone call, "I jumped off the train so I wouldn't get shot again. My hand is honestly the least of my problems right now,"

"How's your face doing?"

"Why don't you come see yourself?" he said.

"I'm working on it,"

"You should just track my phone. I don't know how good my service is here,"

"It's fine now,"

"I know that but...I hear something coming,"

"Get away from there! Now!"

"I'm going to hang up now,"

"Toby don't!" but it was too late. Toby had already hung up the phone. He slid it back into his pocket. He used all his strength to push himself into a sitting position. From there it was difficult for him to get to his feet. He had to roll onto his stomach, and ignore the screaming pain in his chest to push himself up. Then his hat fell off his head. He groaned, and squatted down. He did not bend his spine at all. He just reached out for his hat, and stood back up. He stopped moving and listened from exactly which direction the thing was coming from. It was coming from the forest behind him, so in order to get away, Toby needed to cross the tracks.

Toby stepped onto the tracks. There were three sets of tracks between him, and the dense forest on the other heard whatever it was close behind him. He bit his lip then stepped onto the first track. His first step didn't make it to the other side of the track. He took a second step, and made sure he made it between the tracks. He held his ribs closer to his body, so he felt a little less pain. Then he took two more steps, making it over the second set of tracks, then two more got him over the third. He still had a mile to go before he made it to the shelter of that forest.

He didn't feel as if he had the will to go on. He had used the last of his energy trying to get over the tracks without being hit by a train. His eyes were playing tricks on him. It looked like the forest was just past the tracks, but then you went down a small slope, and the trees were about a mile out. Toby groaned. He truly wanted to give up, let whatever was on the track behind him get him. He didn't care. Then he thought, he needed to care. Paige was counting on him, and Happy was coming to get him. Happy was coming to get him.

He then remembered something Paige had taught him a few months ago. When he really didn't want to do something or go somewhere, imagine something he really wanted then reward yourself with that after the task is complete. He really wanted Happy right now. He wanted to be with her, he wanted to touch her skin. In the trees is where he meet Happy without the interruption of his follow(s). He began moving towards the trees. He held his ribs close to him as he slid down the steep slope. He kept thinking of Happy driving up to him in those trees, and he kept going.

He thought of Happy, every positive memory he had of her. When the two of them first met wasn't the happiest memory. Toby was the one who found her, and recruited her for the team. Their meeting wasn't the best.

_Toby had just turned twenty-one. He was now legally allowed into casinos. Before he had just snuck in on his own. Now he could go. He was going for the first time, alone. Walter normally kept a pretty tight leash on his gambling, but it was his twenty-first birthday, so Walter let him go. Walter said that if he wasn't home by one am, that he would send Sylvester to pick him up. Toby did not want to see that happen. _

_He bought himself a beer, and went immediately to a poker table. He placed his beer down on the table, and the game began. Happy was sitting across the table with another girl. He read her like an open book. He saw that she was new here, she had just turned twenty-one as well. She was more of an introvert, who would've much rather stayed at home, and had her first glass of wine at home with her...sister? He saw she had a sister by the way she talked to her friend. She was also smarter than everyone else at this table, maybe even as smart as he was...just not in the same field. _

_The game was played, and Toby won. Everytime he made a good call, he rewarded himself with another beer, and he still won. That was his gift, anyway. That's how he learned to survive, and he was addicted to surviving. He played four more games at the same table, pissing off the three men who looked to be in their forties. By the time the games were over, Toby had had seven beets, and won three hundred dollars. It was a normal amount that he took home. He stood up, and walked away with his money. _

_Happy stood up, and began walking after him, leaving her friend. She followed him as he headed towards the door. _

"_Hey," she said, grabbing his shoulder, and spinning him around. _

"_Hello," Toby smiled, charmingly. _

"_Why were you staring at me?" she asked, annoyed._

"_I was playing poker; I was reading you," Toby said innocently. _

"_Just me," Happy said sternly. _

"_And the other players,"_

"_Yeah for a split second, but you wouldn't take your eyes off me the entire game,"_

"_You're right, I wouldn't, I couldn't. You are very beautiful," Toby said. Happy blushed, but then went back to being angry. _

"_Well, stop!"_

"_I'm leaving anyway, relax," Toby said. Then he couldn't help it anymore, he said it, "you're a genius,"_

"_What?"_

"_You're a genius. You have a higher IQ, and a lower EQ. I can't tell what your skill at, but I'm a shrink,"_

_That changed something in her. She soften up on the outside, she seemed relieved to meet someone like her, but she also put up another shield. An internal shield that blocked Toby from personal information, like the fact that she had a sister. _

"_You know, I work for a team a geniuses. There's an opening if you wanna..." then it happened. Those beers came back to haunt him. He was feeling fine just a moment ago then he was spewing punk everywhere, ninety percent of it ending up on Happy. _

_She looked absolutely disgusted, and utterly mortified. Sylvester couldn't have chosen a worse time to walk in. He walked over to where Toby was now laying on the ground, and then looked at Happy. He looked absolutely disgusted, and backed away from both of them. He took out his phone, and called Walter, who was inside in the next five minutes. _

_Walter walked through the casino to where Toby was laying. Walter slowly helped Toby to his feet. _

"_She's a genius, you know," Toby said, laughing. He pointed to Happy who nodded slightly. _

"_What's your IQ?" Walter asked. _

"_One fifty,"_

"_Come with us," Walter said, leading Toby out. Happy was very apprehensive to follow the puker, the germaphobe, and the monotone robot, but she did. From that moment on, she was part of Scorpion._

Toby was pulled out of the flashback by a car engine. He didn't realize that he had made it to the forest. Behind him was a van. He was a bit nervous at first, that it may be the bad guys, but then Happy walked around the van.

"Happy," Toby exhaled. He smiled, and went to give her a hug, but then winced at the pain.

"I have bandages in the car. Quickly, get in," Happy was disappointed the hug hadn't been longer, but she didn't want to cause him pain. The two got in the backseat. Toby took off his hoodie, and his shirt. Then Happy began wrapping bandages around his ribs. Toby winced as she pulled it tighter.

"It'll feel better soon," she said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it hurts like hell now,"

"I know, I'm sorry," she finished wrapping. She ran her hands across the bandages, making sure nothing was sticking up. Then she looked at his hand and forehead.

"Did you wrap these yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah,"

"You did a terrible job,"

"Gee, thanks, Happy. Sorry I didn't do better in the ten minutes I had, and in the better part of that ten minutes I was taking a bullet out of my hand!"

"I know, I'm sorry,"

"It's fine," Happy removed the bandages from his hand. She lightly touched it, and he winced even at her touch. It felt amazing, it was something he'd always wanted just maybe not under the circumstances where his hand was more tender than it was when he was a small baby. Happy sprayed some disinfecting spray on it, which made his hand sting. Bad. He began violently blowing on it, but she stopped him, and lightly blew on the wound, so it wouldn't burn as much. She began wrapping his hand, until it was in a tight bandage. Then she moved onto his face.

She cleaned the rest of the dried blood off of it, and accidentally opened it again in a few places. Those are the places, she determined, that needed butterfly stitches. She took a tube of antibiotic cream, and rubbed it gently over the gash down the side of his face. Neither would admit to truly loving the physical contact the two had had in the last ten minutes. She placed butterfly stitches over the now opened wounds then wiped her hands off on Toby's shirt, which was still laying on the car seat. She looked him in the eye, and Toby saw things in her that he hadn't seen since the poker table all those years ago.

Happy placed a hand under Toby's chin, and pulled them closer. Toby didn't pull away. They got close enough that they were able to feel each other's breathing. Toby would never admit this is what he's wanted since the poker table, but it was. Happy had wanted this since she got to know him better. Really, better. When he was kind, not just the drunk jerk shrink who threw up on her. She truly hated him for the first few months they knew each other. Then it was all an act. She was falling in love, and she was in denial about it.

She didn't care what anyone else thought now. They were alone, and in a dire situation, it was perfect. It was everything she had learned from movies and TV that a kiss should be. Toby wasn't resisting, and she didn't need to be a behaviorist to tell that was a good sign. She couldn't read him, and she had pushed her feelings away after she discovered that he could read her like an open book. It took a lot, but she did it. Now she didn't care. She was going to kiss him. Their faces were centimeters apart, and the gap was closing rapidly. Then a gunshot went off. Their moment was ruined.

**I just wanna say, I'm glad you all like this story. I took a risk, and tried out a totally different writing style. Go read any of my other stories, my writing is very different. I'm going to finish up all those stories in that style, then any new ones are going to be in this style. Thank you for unknowingly helping me! Also, I'm going away so I won't have wifi again til Sunday, I just wanted to get a chapter up **

**And for my fellow marvel fangeeks, here is the Age of Ultron trailer: ** watch?v=tmeOjFno6Do&spfreload=10


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Alright, I know the last chapter was more Happy/Toby than anything, and I had this long three paragraph freak out about Happy/Toby on Monday night. Then I deleted it, and didn't post it because it was a three paragraph long thing of me flipping out. So I hope that explains that. This story is a Paige/Walter story though...idk if they're gonna end up together, but it'll definitely build their relationship up more. I also want this story to build up the relationship between other characters as well, I want it to be well rounded, so every chapter may not be Walter/Paige, but this one will be purely Walter/Paige. Then I can't update again until Sunday.**

Walter was very nervous. He would never let Ralph see it, but he had a feeling the young boy could. Walter was nervous for them, and for Paige. Paige had always had a strong head on her shoulders, Walter trusted her to handle herself, yet he felt that he was responsible for getting her back. He was the only one who could get her back.

He had gotten her into this mess anyway, right? He was the one who dragged her into this mess, that day in the diner. Did he drag her in for her, or did she drag him in for Ralph? Or did he drag her in for himself? He didn't know. That was the question he'd been pondering over since the helicopter took off.

He had brought her into this mess, he determined, for both Ralph and himself. He had not done it for Paige, and he knew Paige had done it for Ralph. He knew that he needed to help Ralph since he saw him playing chess with condiments. Then when he beat Sylvester there was no way that kid wasn't going to become one of them. That's why he had dragged Paige into it. That's why she was missing now.

"You know, my mom likes you," Ralph said.

"She likes me?" Walter asked, "like a friend?"

"No, like more than friends," Ralph said. Walter was a little taken aback by this news. He felt absolutely nothing for Paige, for anyone. The slightest bit of affection he ever felt was to Ralph, and that's because Walter was able to relate so much to him, "she talks about you a lot. She says she tries to get you to show emotion, whether it be towards her or not, she's trying desperately,"

Walter immediately began feeling defensive. She was trying to break down his wall, and get inside his head. He didn't feel normal human emotions, and he had no reason to emulate them. He didn't want to hurt Paige, or any of his team members, but this was something he couldn't help her with. He thought of her differently now. Had she joined the team for Ralph, or had she joined it to get closer to him?

The train went all the way to Seattle, without any run-ins with the men who were following them. They were still there on the platform when they got off the train. Walter had been so lost in thought the entire trip that he forgot to debug his phone. He still couldn't send anything he didn't want overheard. He took Ralph's hand, and the two moved off the platform together, and into the main station. They got tickets for a train to Portland, and sure enough the guys who were following them got tickets for the same train. They got down on the platform their train would be leaving from in ten minutes, and Walter quickly started examining his phone, while Ralph kept watch. Walter found the little piece of metal that had bugged his phone. He looked at Ralph, who nodded, saying he had more time. Walter began digging his fingernail under the metal.

He began pushing it upward, but it was very difficult to move. Then Ralph came running back to him, saying they were coming. Walter tried to pull his nail out from under the bug, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's stuck," Walter muttered.

"What?" Ralph asked.

"My finger is stuck under the bug, and it's not moving," Walter said.

"Well hide your phone!"

Walter shoved his phone and hand into his jacket pocket. He shoved his other hand into his pocket as well.

"Mr. O'Brien," someone said. Walter turned around, and the two men who were following them faced him, "FBI. You're going to have to come with us,"

The bald one held out a badge. Walter recalled an image in his mind of the badge Cabe had given him. There were small differences that made it too clear that this badge was fake.

"Well, I'm Homeland Security," Walter took out the badge Cabe had given him, "and I say no. And I also say that I can arrest you for those fake badges,"

"Then we might as well arrest you for yours," the smaller one said. Walter bit his lip, he looked down at Ralph, who had a small hint of fear in his eyes. That put him over the edge, Walter reached behind him, and pulled at the gun he had tucked in his pants. Both the men backed up.

"Oh, Derek didn't give you guns, did he?"

"He did, he just told us not to shoot you," the younger one said. The bald one gave him a look. Walter smirked.

"Well, I have no problem shooting you," Walter said, "so leave and stop following us,"

The two looked at each other. The bald one gave Walter a look then turned away. The smaller one did the same.

"That's done," Walter said. Then he realized his fingernail was unstuck, and the bug was off his phone, "huh. Let's go kid,"

The train pulled up, and the two got on. Walter tucked the gun away, and the two sat down. The train pulled away from the station, and was in front of three tracks. It swerved, and began moving along the middle track, and so their ride to Portland begun.

Paige had just watched Toby be followed out of the train car they were in. He may be a behaviorist, but he was as easy to read as just about any other person. He wasn't supposed to follow Paige onto the train, but he did. Paige had given him a look that said 'help me'. That's when he decided to disobey Walter and go after Paige. What he was planning on doing, she didn't know, but she knew she wasn't going to be alone.

Now she was alone. There was a man sitting next to her, and one across. The one across had just gotten up to go after Toby. She was told there were others scattered throughout the train, so there was no way she was getting away. Then the train stopped.

Everyone looked around, confused. The lights began flickering. It was still light outside, but it was the Pacific Northwest, it could begin raining at any moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We are experiencing a brief power outage," the conductor said, "we should be up and running again shortly. I'm sorry for the inconvenience," the conductor hung up. Paige exhaled, and the lights went out completely in the train. If it was dark, Paige would've made a run for it, but it was too bright. If she got up and moved, she'd be visible, and dead in a minute.

A train whizzed past them on the middle track. They sat there for another five minutes in the dark. She saw three of Derek's security guards talking. She wondered where Derek actually was, if he was on the train or not. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the lights came back on, and they started moving ahead again.

They pulled into the station ten minutes later. They all got up, and began moving. Paige was in the center of the group. People could take it one of two ways. A kidnapped woman, or an important woman. They walked off the platform, and into the crowds of people. That's when she saw him.

Walter O'Brien was across the station. He was talking on his cell phone while Ralph watched him. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She loved Walter's relationship with her son. That's why she had agreed to join in the first place because of their relationship, and because she knew they could help him reach his full potential.

Walter began turning in circles, he seemed agitated with whoever he was on the phone with. Then he saw he.

Paige Dineen was standing across the station, being flanked by men on either side. Walter was in shock, seeing her, but he was also very happy. He hung up the phone, and put it back in his pocket. Paige looked away from him because one of the security guards said something to her. Walter clenched his teeth, and began walking after them. Ralph quickly followed. They set off outside the train station, in the now stormy Portland.

**I'm hoping to put a Paige/Walter flashback in one of the upcoming chapters, but no promises. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**I HAVE WIFI HERE! I've never been here before, so I thought I wouldn't have it so I left my laptop at home, but I have my iPad, so I'm updating from my iPad. The only thing that should be different are the quotation marks. That bugs me, but a chapter is a chapter. It has the same words. Enjoy!**

Walter moved slowly down the street in pursuit of Paige and her captors. Walter wasn't the best at blending in a crowd to begin with, but this made it even harder. Halfway down the road they stopped a black can. One guard slid in, then Paige, then another security guard. The door closed and the car drove off. There were still two guards standing there.

"Ralph. Turn around," Walter said, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders. Ralph understood, and turned in the other direction. Walter took out his phone.

"Toby," he said after Toby picked up the phone, "where are you guys,"

"We are currently driving through Portland Oregon. Making our ways towards the train station,"

"How's Happy doing?"

"She's doing fine. The bullet hit her calf. She says she'll be fine to beat up a guy if she needed to," Toby looked over at her. She was currently tying a tight bandage around her bleeding calf.

"Good," Walter said.

"Hey! I see you!" Toby said.

"Good. I want you to drive by. I'm gonna send Ralph into the car. Then I'm gonna see what these guys want,"

"Walter, no," Toby said.

"Trust me,"Walter said, "you guys can do this without me. Sylvester knows every one of their faces. You can get inside their heads, and you'll have Ralph,"

"But Walter..."

"You need to trust me. I have to make sure Paige is ok,"

That was it right there. That was the strongest moment of EQ he had seen from Walter in forever. Walter really did care about her. A lot. Toby knew Walter would never admit it though. Walter believed that a person with high IQ showing EQ was a sign of weakness. That was something Marc Collins had put into his head. Toby really hated Marc Collins for that. Walter had emotions hidden deep down. Toby had seen them before, but never like this.

"Pull over," Walter said. Then he hung up, and put his phone in his pocket. He took out the gun and the badge and gave them to Ralph, "Toby and Happy are in the car that just pulled over. Get inside, and give Toby the gun and the badge,"

"What about you?"

"I am going to find your mother,"

"Are you going to be ok?"

"We are both going to be fine," Walter said, looking the boy in the eyes, "now get in the car,"

Walter ushered the boy into the car. Happy pushed the door open, and Ralph climbed in. Happy thrust something into his hand then closed the door. The car drove away. Walter walked away, looking discretely at the object in his hand. It looked like a makeshift tracker, and a small note.

_Rub through hair. Will latch into scalp. We'll fine you. _

It was in Happy's handwriting. She had what most people would call 'chicken scratch', but it was what they all had. That is why Paige normally did the paperwork, and they just signed where they needed to.

Walter watch them go. He knew his team would get them out of this mess, he knew this was the right decision, yet he questioned himself. How would Paige feel about him coming to rescue her? He could have an entire team of government agents trained to handle these situations. How would Paige react to him trying to play the hero? Would she it make him more approachable and attractive, or would it make him look like an idiot.

He walked past a large window. In it's reflection, Walter saw the two guards following him. He bit his lips and picked up the pace. The guards behind him did as well. He was crossing a road. A bus went by behind him, and then he took off. He knew they could easily outrun him, but he thought he'd try and act like he wasn't trying to get caught.

The bus moved past, and he heard two sets of feet pounding behind him. Walter didn't try to pace himself. There was no way he could bribe them, Derek wanted his IQ. Walter's IQ could easily be misused. He could be using it to hack secure government files, if he wanted, but he had a company, a steady paying job, and a reputation to protect. He wouldn't sacrifice that for any piece of information. His IQ could also be used to create world ending scenarios with no flaws, again, Walter would never do that. His IQ could also be used for good things as well. It could be used to do what he was doing right now, with Scorpion, with Cabe. He justed needed to survive this, and keep on moving.

He had almost forgotten about the makeshift tracker. It was still in his hand. He ran his hand along his scalp, and he felt the little piece dig into his scalp. It itched, but he ignored it. He just continued running. He felt something hit him in the back. He began getting dizzy. He caught himself on a nearby fence before crashing to the ground.

Walter woke up dazed and tired. It only took him a second to remember what happened. He was sitting a chair in a dark warehouse. There were wire ties around his wrists, attatching them to the chair. He yanked on them, but of course they didn't move. He groaned.

"Walter," he heard a whisper behind him.

"Paige?" Walter asked, looking around. There was wworry in his voice.

"Relax, Walter. I'm right here,"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm alright," she said, "are you alright?"

"A little dizzy, and concerned, but in the long run I'm ok," Walter looked around, then in a lower voice, he said, "can they hear us?"

"Yes,"

"Scorpion's are coming," Walter whispered, hoping she got the message. Then the door opened. Derek Sunbeam walked in the room.

"Derek Sunbeam," Walter said, making his smile/frown.

"Walter O'Brien," Sunbeam replied.

"What do you want?"

"Oh many things," Sunbeam said, "but only one you,"

"Oh really?" Walter asked, "what is it?"

"I want you to create something for me," Sunbeam said.

"What do you want me to create?"

"A program that can throw the world into a post apocalyptic state, and another to help me rise from the ashes as a hero, with you and your team at my side,"

"By your side?" Walter asked, "for one, I think it's crazy you'd even begin to think that I'd do that, and two, if I ever did that, my team would never join you. Ever,"

"In the desperation of world apocalyspe, they might,"

"Well even if they would, I wouldn't,"

"Alright then," he looked over at the guard he had come into the room with. He walked over to Paige, and cut her wrists free of the chair. The guard pulled her around in front of Walter, and for the first time since they got there he saw her. She was not as ok as she had described. Her left eye was black, and there was a cut above her right eye. There was dried blood dripping down the side of her face. Her wrists were red and raw from trying to get out of the wire ties. Her left wrist was black and blue. Walter assumed it was sprained or broken. She must've tried to run after they had left the train station. Sunbeam grabbed Paige and held her with a knife to her neck.

"How about now? Will you build the program now?" Derek asked.

"No," Walter said. The knife went deeper into her neck, making a cut in her delicate skin. She held her breath.

"Do it for me," he hissed, digging the knife deeper, blood began dripping down her neck. Then Walter began talking. It wasn't actual words, but different coding terms. Only Walter understood what he was saying because no one said anything when he was finished. The knife went deeper into Paige's neck, and she gagged.

"Ok! Ok! Fine! I'll do it," Walter said, "just let her go,"

Sunbeam let go of her, and she dropped to the floor. The guard cut Walter free and he jumped up out of the chair. He didn't go after Sunbeam or the guard. He instead picked Paige up off the ground. Derek grabbed Walter's shoulder, and the guard grabbed Paige's. Walter did the only thing to could think to do. He pulled Paige as close to him as he could, and kissed her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Another chapter from my iPad. I'll be home tomorrow and can update from my laptop**

Paige looked at Walter. There was more emotion in his eyes than she had ever seen. She had done it. She had completed her task. She got Walter O'Brien to show emotion. She got kidnapped, and had almost been killed, but she got Walter to show emotion.

She was also completely shocked that Walter had kissed her. Walter O'Brien kissed her. Of all the people in the world he could've kissed, he had chosen to kiss her. The last person who had kissed her was Ralph's father. That didn't go well, and she knew she wouldn't go through that with Walter. She looked him in the eye. They were as filled with emotion as ever. He was being dragged away from her. He hated it.

Walter looked at Paige. Walter realized just then that he truly loved her. He felt weird inside, he assumed that this is what emotions felt like. He would definitly have to get used to the feeling. He looked at Paige, who seemed just as confused as he was. It clicked in his mind that if she got taken away, he may never see her alive again. She may be more hurt when she returned, he didn't know, and he didn't want to find out.

He was being dragged out of the room. He was being dragged to create a word ending program. He was being dragged away from Paige. An uncertain future awaited them both, And Walter didn't want to discover that uncertain future.

He raised his elbow, and hit Derek in the face. He went tumbling back, letting go over Walter in the process. Walter ran over to the guard holding Paige, and kicked him in the stomach. He grabbed her hand, and pulled her towards the door.

"Not so fast, Mr. O'Brien,"

Walter turned, and saw a gun pointed at him. He almost laughed.

"What? Are you going to shoot me? If you did, you'd never get your program. The only people who have my IQ are either dead or unstable," he was of course referring to Marc Collins. Derek was smart enough not to trust this job to a mentally unstable person. Walter looked back at Derek, who shrugged and pointed the gun at Paige. Walter instintivly moved in front of her, grabbed her wrist in the process.

"Oh look," Derek said, "the genius is showing EQ,"

"It's not a weakness," Walter said, "I realize that now. Having a high IQ and a high EQ is not a weakness. It's and evolution,"

"An evolution that world can live without. Less emotions, the easier it is for you to do my bidding,"

"Go to hell," Walter spat out. Then the door burst opened behind him. Walter was expecting more guards, but instead Toby walked in the door pointing the gun at Derek. Happy came in close behind him.

Derek smiled, "well, you're scorpions have come,"

"Yeah. They have," Walter said. Derek smiled and laughed. He turned, and ran towards the window. Toby shot, but his aim being what it was, he missed. Derek jumped out the window, and was gone.

"That went well," Toby smiled at Happy. She smiled back. They both gave each other goofy grins. Paige and Walter exchanged confused glances. Toby noticed and laughed.

"We made out," he said.

"I got that," Walter said, a bit weirded out. He gave Paige a look saying 'don't say anything'. She nodded and they headed for the door.

"That was too easy," Walter said, "this is not over,"

"As long as this job isn't over, the threat isn't over," Happy said. They exited the building, and made their way to the idling car. Toby got in the driver's seat, and Happy took shot gun. Paige opened the door to the back seat, and Ralph stepped out. He gave his mother a hug, who graciously accepted. Then he gave Walter a hug, and said he was glad to see them both. Paige slid in, then Ralph, then Walter, and they were on their way.

"I left Sylvester at a hotel," Happy said.

"Well that was nice of you," Walter said. Paige snickered, and Happy cracked a smile. Toby made no facial expression. He just glanced in the rearview mirror, and studied Walter. Only half his face was visible, but Toby could see something different about him. He couldn't pinpoint it, but there was something.

They picked up Sylvester who went and sat in the third row. He was an anxious as ever, especially after he saw Paige's injuries. He began playing with his fingers while running numbers through his head. It was something he couldn't stop, so he justlet them come.

They made their way to the train station. Nobody truly enjoyed being there, but they needed to get home. They didn't have monet for plane tickets, plus it would save Sylvester a lot of anxiety.

The team arrived back in LA in five hours. They met Cabe back at the garag, which was exactly how they left it. Everyone went off to do different things. Ralph and Sylvester went to play chess. Cabe was calling many government people, and Happy and Toby had disappeared to somewhere. Walter sat Paige down, and he began treating her injuries. He got a wet wipe, and began wiping the dried blood off her face.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?" Walter asked, not looking away from what he was doing.

"Why did you kiss me back there?" she said softly.

"Because I wanted to,"

"But you showed emotion. I've been trying to get you to show emotion since I've met you. I had absolutely nothing then all of a sudden you want to kiss me,"

"Yes, that is true," Walter said. He threw away the red paper towel, moved to her wrists. He wiped the dried blood off, being gental with her left wrist. He took out a bandage, and began wrapped her wrist. Paige sighed.

"What?" Walter asked.

"Everything is going to change now, isn't it?"

"No, nothing is going to change. Absolutely nothing is going to change,"

"Derek doesn't seem to believe that,"

"Don't think about him, think about me,"

"But he's still out there..."

"Who cares? Right now, we're in here. He can't touch you. I won't let him go anywhere near you again. Understand?"

**Am I the only person who just found out that Elyes Gabel and Katherine McPhee are dating? Mind=blown. Although it really isn't rare for co-stars to date each other, I'm super suprised and happy. Makes for an awesome cover pic. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The team raced upstairs. The first thing Walter saw when he entered the upstairs room was Toby lying on the ground. Walter quickly ran over to him, and felt for a pulse. There was one there, and there were no signs of physical injuries. They all sat, waiting for him to come to.

"Wait," Paige said, "where's Happy?"

Everyone spread out, and began looking for Happy. Everyone except Walter, who stayed by his friend's side. He was concerned for Happy, but he wanted to be there when Toby came to. Which didn't take very long. The shrink was sitting up, clutching his head.

"What happened?" Toby asked.

"You passed out," Walter said. Then Toby's pupil's dilated. He remembered what had happened before he got knocked out. It all came flowing back. Walter gave him a minute to gather his thoughts.

"Happy and I were up here...watching TV," he said, gesturing to the TV, which was not cracked, sand displayed a static screen, "and we were both tired. I began dozing off. Next thing I know, the window cracks, there's a guy in here, and Happy was fighting him off. I get up to him, but the butt of a gun hit me in the head,"

"Uh-huh," Walter said. Toby looked around. Walter gave him a weird look, but Toby stood up.

"Where's Happy?" he asked, very concerned.

"We don't know," Walter said, "we came up here, and it was you on the floor, unconscious,"

"Alright, we gotta find her," Toby said, he went over to the window. He began searching the glass for any signs of anything, "how did they do this? Sylvester!"

"Coming," Sylvester walked over to the window, and examined the scene. He looked down to the ground. He looked up then turned and went down the stairs. He walked outside and to the spot right under the window. He examined the outside of the building, and thought a little more.

"I hate to interrupt," Cabe said, "but I have to go,"

"What?" Walter asked, turning to him, "_now?_"

"I just spent the last twenty minutes trying to get out of it. They need me oversees. I tried," Cabe said, "I'm sorry, Walter. I really am,"

"That means nothing to me. You know that?" Walter said. Cabe nodded, and he went to the car. He got in and drove away. Walter sighed, and turned back to Sylvester.

"Alright. Toby, did this guy have a syringe?" Sylvester asked. Toby sighed, and squeezed his temples. He turned and faced the wall, then he turned back.

"I can't remember,"

"Well it's highly probable," Sylvester said, "did you hear a helicopter?"

"Yeah, but it sounded like it was far away," Toby said. Sylvester nodded.

"I figured. I just wanted evidence," he said, "anyway, he came down from the roof, broke the window, jumped through the it, looking for Walter. Happy got up and attacked him. He had one syringe filled with Nitrous oxide or chloroform. She was closest, so he used the one syringe to inject her. Toby got up to go after him, but then he hit you with the butt of his gun tucked at his side. He pulled her out the window, and handed her off to the guy who was standing on the roof. Then the two escaped to the helicopter, and took off,"

"Is there anyway that we could track her?" Walter asked.

"No. Not from right here anyway...given the evidence, and our situation there is a possibility..."

"There is," Toby cut in.

"What?" Paige asked.

"There is a way to track her!"

"How?" Walter asked.

"She used one of the same things she made for you! She has one on her head right now!" Toby smiled.

"Did she make any more?" Walter asked.

"No. She was working on it, but she was only halfway done the third one. So nobody else go missing!" Toby said sternly, but he couldn't stop smiling. He laughed, and went inside.

"What happened...to him?" Paige asked.

"I think," Sylvester said, "and this is just a hunch, that the two of them may be in love,"

He walked back inside. Walter and Paige looked at each other. Both were a little surprised that the severity of the situation had brought out more romances than one. Paige smiled at him. Neither of them notices the young boy studying them. Walter smiled back, and walked back inside.

"Mom," Ralph said, "does Walter love you?"

"Yes. I think so," Paige smiled.

"And do you still love him?"

"Yes,"

"Good. He'd be an awesome dad," Ralph walked inside. Paige was a little taken aback by the fact that her nine year old said that, but he did. She was happy that he like Walter, and that she liked him as well. Because Ralph did NOT like her ex, and neither did Paige. He voiced that to her when he was old enough to talk. Paige was a bit taken aback when her son said that, but it helped her realized how truly unhappy she was.

She walked back inside, and saw them all crowded around computer. She walked over, genuinely concerned. When she walked over, and saw the screen, she was very concerned. On the screen, was her son's name.

Nothing else. Just Ralph written written in white letters, on a black screen. Paige was shocked, but then scared for her son's safety. She turned, and walked up the stairs. Walter chased after her. Sylvester placed his hands on Ralph's shoulders, and steered him towards the chess board. Toby wandered around then went outside. The sun was going down, and it was dark outside. He sighed and paced the sidewalk.

Paige walked quickly through the garage, tears coming out of her eyes. She made her way to the door to the roof. She went up the stairs, and out onto the roof. She walked over to edge, and placed her hands on it, leaning over. She let the tears fall from her eyes, and onto the pavement below. Walter silently slipped through the door, and made his way over to her. She heard him coming, but she didn't move. As distraught as she was, she wanted to see how he would react to this.

Walter made his way over to Paige, until he was right behind her. He thought about what he had seen on TV, what people normally would do in this situation. He reached his hand out towards her shoulder, but then took it back. That would be the way a friend would comfort her. He did not want to be her friend, he wanted to be more than friends. He thought of what else he could do, of anything he could do.

Then he thought of what he could do. He wrapped his arms gingerly around her neck, and pulled her closer to him. She leaned her head against his chest, and placed her hands on his arms. He waited for her breath to calm down before turned her around to face him.

"Do you know why?" Walter said, "you must know why, or have an idea?"

"You remember when you guessed about Ralph's father? How he left?" Paige asked, still crying. Walter nodded.

"Well, his name is Derek," Paige said, "and this is the first time I've seen him in six years,"

"No," Walter said. Paige nodded, and began crying harder. Walter pulled her close to him, and she cried into his chest, soaking his thin button down. He pushed her away from him, took her face in his hands, and kissed her. The two of them 'stumbled' towards the edge of the roof, and Paige placed her hands on the edge to make herself feel more secure.

The two momentarily stopped kissing. Neither wanted to, but Walter felt like he needed to. He looked around the at the different rooftops. He saw nothing. He focused back on Paige. He was about to kiss her again when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He glanced behind him just as a gunshot went off.

There was a sniper on the rooftop behind them. Walter looked at the trajectory. It was not aimed at either of them. Walter watched the gunman, but he had already ran. Paige ran to the edge of the roof, and looked over. She gasped.

"Walter!" she shouted, "WALTER!"

Walter ran to the edge of the roof next to her. He leaned over the edge, and saw the body on the ground. Walter ran for the door. He still tasted the salt water from Paige's tears on his lips. He shook his head. He could not be distracted by his newly found emotions. He couldn't block out these emotions, and he couldn't figure out how people live with them everyday. He tried his best to push them away. but he couldn't.

He pushed the door open, and looked at the limb body on the ground. He flipped the man over, which caused the hat to slide off his head. There was a bullet hole in his left side. Walter began flipping out. Paige placed a hand on his arm. Walter placed a finger on his friend's wrist, feeling for a pulse. There was one there, but it was faint. He didn't realize that Paige was talking to 911. An ambulance showed up ten minutes later, and took Toby to a hospital.

By this time, Sylvester and Ralph had come outside. They all decided it was too risky for them to go to the hospital. That was where Derek would expect them to go. They went back inside, and Sylvester bolted the door.

"Walter," he asked, "are you feeling alright?"

"No. No Sylvester I'm not. I am feeling too much emotion. I can't control it, I can't block it out! I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't focus! There's too much emotion!" Walter yelled. Sylvester was taken aback. Walter never yelled. Sylvester exhaled.

"I need to tell you something," Sylvester said.

"What?!" Walter asked, trying not to yell, "what do you _need_ to tell me?!"

"I...I can't stay. My blood pressure and heart rate are up way higher than they should be. I'm at risk for heart failure. I've made arrangement with an old roommate. He said, I can stay with him until this is all over,"

"So you're leaving?" Walter asked.

"It's for my health, Walter!" Sylvester said sternly.

"Fine. Ok. Go then," Walter said. He turned to go upstairs.

"Call me when it's all over!" Sylvester yelled.

"Sure," Walter said, walking up the stairs. Sylvester looked at Paige, whose cheeks were still tear stained. He smiled at her, gave Ralph a hug, and left the garage. Paige sighed, and thought of Walter said about his emotions. She picked up and pen and paper, and wrote him a note.

Walter came down the stairs at two am. He turned the light on, and saw the empty garage. He assumed Paige had gone home. He had calmed down a bit, but he really wished she was there. He looked around at everyone's work station. He walked over to his own, and saw a note taped on his desktop.

_Walter,_

_I heard what you said about your emotions earlier. _

_I'm sorry. I know I caused them. _

_I decided that I needed to leave, so you could clear your head,_

_and work on pulled the team back together. _

_I just assumed I was bringing out too much emotion in you. _

_Please try and forget about me. I'll send Ralph back in a few months,_

_but I think it would be better for you if I stayed away_

_You won't be able to reach me, I'm cutting myself off from you, _

_I'm sorry, I hope you understand._

_Paige._

Walter screamed. He didn't know what else to do. He just screamed. He walked slowly over to the couch, and collapsed. He was laying, face down, his head in a pillow. He clutched the note to his chest, and for the first time in his entire life, Walter O'Brien cried.

**Happy Scorpion Monday! Woah, that was a drama filled chapter. Wow. I intended to do that over like five chapters, but then that ^ happened. Ok. Sorry the chapters have been short recently, but they should get longer. I CAN'T WAIT FOR TONIGHT'S EP! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Ok. I have been going non-stop since Monday. I need to calm down. This is for you guys. **

Walter had fallen asleep on the couch. He had woken up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Walter sat up, and tried wiping the dried tears off his face. He picked up the phone.

"Mr. O'Brien?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Walter replied.

"I have some news for you, regarding your friend Toby Curtis," she said. Walter's expression didn't change, "he is currently out of surgery. His left lung was punctured by the bullet. He's in a coma, and needs a lung transplant to survive,"

Walter only nodded. He didn't even think that the woman couldn't see him, but he didn't care. His entire world had just fallen apart in two hours. He didn't know what to do. All his friends were gone, one was missing, one was in a coma, one was overseas, one was with a friend, and the two he cared about most had run away because of him. Paige _knew_ it was just him left, and she left. She _left_ him, and she had begged him to make her _not_ leave.

"Hello? Sir?" the woman on the phone asked. Walter looked down at it, but didn't say anything, "there's something else you should know. If Mr. Curtis doesn't get a new lung soon, you'll have to decide whether or not you want to put him on life support,"

Walter would've smashed the phone if there weren't so many important people who could call him at any moment.

"You're welcome to come see him if you wish. If you don't, we'll call you when you need to make the decision," the line went dead. Walter screamed again. He wished Toby hadn't put him first on his emergency contacts list. Everyone on the team had put Walter first on their emergency contacts list. They were on Walter's list, but only he knew the order. He squeezed his temples then ran.

He ran towards the door, but then decided it was unsafe. He ran up the stairs, and onto the roof. He jumped onto the ledge, and looked down. The pavement was three stories down. He put a foot forward, prepared to throw himself onto the ground. He closed his eyes, and let his body fall.

He only fell forward about two feet before someone grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him back onto the foot. He hit the gravel, and looked up. He saw the silhouette of a woman in the weak hours of the morning.

"Are you insane, Walter?" she asked.

"Happy?" Walter asked. She nodded, "how did you even get back here? Toby said someone grabbed you, and took you out the window,"

"Someone did," she said, "it didn't take me long to escape. It avoiding them on my way back here that took so long,"

"Oh thank god because things have fallen apart. A lot," he said, and he went into the story of what had happened since she was taken. He left out the part where he cried. He went through everything fairly quickly until he got to the part about Toby's current condition.

He explained it slowly. She nodded, and tried not to seem phased, but he could see the hurt in her eyes. She was holding back tears. Something had happened between them. Walter was happy for them, but he felt particularly bad for her right now in this situation.

"I'm going to go see Toby," Happy said, "do you want to come?"

"No. I think I'd be better off staying here," Walter smiled at her. She smiled back, and left the garage. She got in the car, and let the tears stream down her cheeks. She wiped them away when she arrived at the hospital.

She went inside, and talked to a nurse, who led her to Toby's room. She opened the door, and Happy stepped inside. She gasped at his condition. There was a cannula in his nose, forcing air into his lungs, and even then his breaths were shallow. He was paler than usual, and weaker looking. Happy had always trusted that Toby would protect her, now she felt that she needed to protect him.

She sat down next to his bed, and took his hand. It was very cold from not receiving enough oxygen. She leaned forward, and kissed his forehead. It was of the few times she saw him without a hat. She sat, and ran her fingers through his hair. She exhaled. She immediately regretted it. She felt as if she was bragging. She tried to take shorter breaths

"Toby," Happy said. She knew that he couldn't hear her, but she wanted to talk to him. She had seen it in movies, so it had to be normal human behavior, right?, "Toby you um...you can't die. Please, don't die. We need you. We need you to track down Paige and Ralph, and get Sylvester back along with Cabe. And I need you to not die. I really really need you to not die. I am begging you not to die,"

Happy shed more tears as she thought of her standing at Toby's funeral. Just her and Walter, and she would be the only one crying. The casket was opened, and she was wearing his favorite hat. She imagined herself stepping up to the body, and taking the hat off her head, and placing it on his own. She would kiss him one last time as Walter and the priest would give her a strange look for kissing a dead body, but she didn't care. She would cry, and let some of her tears fall onto his cheeks, wiping away the makeup that had been put on his face to make him look more alive. It would reveal the terrifyingly white skin underneath. Then she would look at the empty room because her and Walter were the only ones who had showed up. She would go back to her seat next to Walter, and hope for a hug, but he wouldn't give it to her, and she'd just cry more. Then his body would be lowered into the ground, and she would sit by his grave for months, just talking to him about stuff she wished she could've said.

"Please don't die!" she begged through her sobs, "_please_!"

"I," Toby had opened his eye. She didn't know how long he had been listening, but he had obviously been listening long enough. He drew in a breath, "I won't die,"

"Toby," she kissed him softly, "promise?"

"I won't," he drew in a breath, "try to die," another breath, "but I can't," another breath, "help that," he exhaled. Happy nodded.

"I am," he sucked in a sharp breath, "so turned on right now," he said rather quickly. Happy laughed a little, "if I wasn't struggling to," he took in a breath, "breath, I'd invite you up here," another breath, "with me,"

She laughed. Then Toby exhaled, and closed his eyes.

"Toby!" Happy begged, "Toby no! Please stay!"

She put her head down on the bed, and cried. Toby's hand moved slightly so that it gently rested on her head. She looked up at Toby, but he was unconscious. She couldn't help it, she began imagining Toby's funeral again. She really hated sometimes how she could never stop thinking. She thought it was good that Sylvester wasn't there, but he had seen where Toby got shot, so he was probably sitting there, wondering about him right now.

Someone shook her awake. She had been dreaming of Toby's funeral. She looked up, and saw Walter.

"You decided to come?" she said, a little surprised.

"And I'm kinda regret it," he said, "but you've been here for fifteen and a half hours. I needed to make sure you were ok,"

She nodded, and stood up, "well I'm fine," she said. She got up, and walked towards the door. She exited the room, and looked up. She was surrounded by gun men. She tried to slam the door shut, closing Walter inside, but it was too late. He was already out, and standing next to her.

"Not so fine anymore," Happy said.

**Speaking on behalf of Monday's episode, Walter may not believe it, or accept it, but he is in love. I also just found out that this show is due for a full season. I know it got confirmed a while ago, but I didn't think about it til episode 6. Anywho, that means 24 episodes in total, which(without a mid-season break or days off)will make season 1 run through until March 2nd. I have much hope for **_**Scorpion**_**! Oh also, if you ship Happy/Toby go read my Tappy/Hoby story called The Mechanics of Behavior!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**I feel guilty for not updating. I just haven't had time. I've been rehearsing for the musical I'm in, and I've had english projects, and science projects, and tests and quizzes out the wazoo. Also my best friend has an issue with me, and is constantly accusing me of doing stuff I didn't do, and on top of all that I'm student council president. Eighth grade really sucks. Sorry for not updating. Here is something for you. I've been working on this since I got home from rehearsal. **

"Mom, why did we leave?" Ralph asked. Him and his mother were walking through the streets of Omaha, Nebraska. Paige held Ralph's hand as they walked swiftly down the street, with Paige looking over her shoulder every chance she got. She was scared for the safety of her and her son. She was almost ready to go to the police, begging for witness protection, at least for Ralph. He understood too much though, he would never go willingly.

Ralph didn't always understand his mother. He tried his best to learn from her, but he connected more with Walter than he ever had with his mother. Ralph thought this was wrong, and he felt terrible for it. He tried to at least act as if he were closer to his mother, but it was difficult for him. Walter understood him, his mother did not. The other members of the Scorpion team understood him more than his mother ever would.

Paige sighed as she looked at her son. She knew exactly what was going through his head right now, and she accepted it. She knew he connected with Walter and the others more than he connected with her, but she had learned to accept it.

"We're going to stay with grandma, right?" Ralph asked. Paige nodded.

"Yes, as long as we're not caught,"

At those words, Ralph instinctively looked over his shoulder. Fear immediately spread throughout his body. He turned back around quickly.

"We are being followed," he said. Paige began turning her head, but Ralph squeezed her hand tighter, "don't look,"

"How do you know someone's following us?"

"Toby's taught me a few things," it was true. Ralph had spent time with each of the geniuses; learning their specific craft. He took the most interest in what Toby did. It helped him emulate human emotion, but more importantly, it helped him learn about people. So he knew when people were following him.

"Yes, but how do you know,"

"He was tall, robust. Wearing a suit and sunglasses. He had his eyes glued on the back of your head, and there was a lump at his side, indicating he probably has a gun there,"

"You picked that all up with one short glance?" Paige asked. Ralph nodded.

"You might wanna call grandma," Ralph said. Paige nodded, and took out her phone. Just as she did, a car turned the corner, and Ralph recognized it immediately.

"Mom!" Ralph said, "there's grandma's car!"

Paige still called her mom, just to make sure. It was actually Paige's mother in the car. She opened the door, and got in just as their pursuer began shooting.

"GO!" Paige shouted as a bullet hit the passenger side window, breaking it. Her mother stepped on the gas, and they went speeding off.

"What have you two gotten yourself into?" she asked.

"You have no idea mom, no idea," Paige exhaled.

"It's a long story," Ralph said. Paige's mom laughed.

"It's great to see you kiddo," she smiled. Ralph smiled back into the rear-view mirror, "what do you need?"

"Food and a temporary shelter,"

"Are you avoiding another crazy guy?"

"No, actually a very nice one...and the same crazy one,"

"Like I said," Ralph piped up from the back seat, "it's a long story,"

"Walter," Happy said, looking up at him. A million possibilities of thing he could do ran through his head. His mind was moving faster than usual. This action took the place of fear. Walter didn't feel fear, well not directly at least. He mind started moving a mile a minute, and that was Walter's version of fear. Happy felt true fear, and that's what she was feeling right now. She grabbed Walter's hand, and felt his veins. It was a little thing Toby had taught her about Walter. When the veins in Walter's hands were puffy, and popped out of his skin, he was feeling some sort of anger, or scared. His veins were popping out of his skin.

He gave her a weird look, which she returned with a stern one. Walter turned back to the men facing them. He looked at the one next to him. He seemed to be the weakest, but he still had a gun. Walter turned towards the man, grabbed the barrel of the gun, twisted his thumb, and pried it out of his hands.

"Where'd you learn that?" Happy asked.

"Toby taught me," Walter said. Happy was surprised, but it only raised her opinion of the shrink.

"Now go," Walter said, "leave,"

"What makes makes you think we're going to leave because you have a gun?"

Walter turned, and shot the man that he had taken the gun from. He didn't see the entry point, so he didn't know how bad it was going to be.

"Well two can play that game," he said. He took a shot, and it hit Happy's forearm. She screamed in pain, and Walter took the gun in one hand, and shot that man in the head. He hit the one next to him in the stomach. He turned and faced away from Happy, pointing the gun at them. They all began dispersing, and going in different directions. He turned back, and Happy was gone.

Walter clenched his fists. He turned, and walked back into Toby's room. He slammed the door, and pounded his fists against the door. Then he screamed. He heard a sharp breath behind him. His scream had woken Toby up. Tears began streaming down Walter's face. He turned and faced Toby.

"Dude," Toby said softly, "what the," he sucked in a breath, "hell happened?"

"Happy was in here. We left, surrounded. They shot Happy..." Walter looked at Toby, who looked scared, "she's fine. Just the forearm, but they took her. And Paige and Ralph ran away, and Sylvester left, and Cabe is oversees, and Happy is missing, and it's just too much for me!"

"Calm...down," Toby said, "I don't know...if you've ever cried before...but screaming about your problems...isn't the answer,"

"You're right," Walter said, sitting down, "the water in my eyes is supposed to keep them from being cry. They're not for crying,"

"It's ok...to cry," Toby said, "screaming about it doesn't...help. And the fact that you can scream...makes me jealous,"

Walter laughed a little, "you're still Toby," Walter looked over at the shrink, to see he had closed his eyes again. Walter began crying just as a nurse walked in the room.

"Is he ok?" she asked, not looking at Walter, or the gun that was still in his hand.

"Yeah. Fine," Walter said, tucking the gun away, "just going through a rough time,"

"Do you need some support?" she asked. Walter was a bit surprised. He shook his head no. Him of all people should not need support. He pushed the nurse out of the room, and wiped the tears from his face. He walked out of the room. He was terrified to get the phone call he knew he was going to get. He didn't want to be there in person when he got it. He knew he could get it any time soon, so he left, and just walked the streets. He didn't care how dangerous it was. He wanted to let his mind wander. It was the only time he ever thought it to be meditative.

**Sorry for not updating. I'm trying my best. 8th grade is super hard.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Alright. Things have calmed down, the show is over, but the trimester is coming to a close. Most of the stuff has been handed in, but there are still no promises of more updates. I'll update when I can. I'll shoot for at least once a week. **

Walter entered the silent garage. He was alone, as he normally was, but it was a different type of alone. He wasn't alone because he was introverted, and he wanted to be alone. He was alone because he had no one there with him. It was a strange feeling he felt; he always wanted to be alone, but now that he was, he wanted to be with someone.

Walter began wandering around the work area. He found the box of unsolved rubic cubes behind Toby's desk. He laughed a little at the memory. Then he sighed, and sat down at Toby's desk. He picked up the toys one by one, solving each in ten seconds. He tried to clear his mind, and focus only on the small colorful squares. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried, his mind wandered. Halfway through the box, he heard something ringing. It was his laptop.

He stood up, and walked over to his own desk. It was a video call from an unknown user. Walter held his breath, and accepted the call.

The room on the other end was dark. There were three bodies laying on the floor. He couldn't see all their faces, and any feature that could distinguish one from another was disguised. He had no hope of knowing who the people on the ground were.

"Mr. O'Brien," it was a woman who spoke. Not only was it a woman, but it was an english woman, with an english accent. She wasn't on the screen, he assumed she was somewhere behind it, "there are three bodies on the floor in front of me. You must come to London straight away. For every day that you do not, one of these people will die. If you do not come in three days, not only will they all be dead, but we will come for you. We've book you a room at the Queen's Hotel. You'll receive8i8 instructions once you arrive,"

She stopped talking. Then one of the bodies began to move.

"Who is that?" Walter asked.

"Walter?" it was a female voice. Not the english woman, but a different woman. Then the call ended. He kept replaying it in his head, trying to recognize the voice, but it was too quick, and he wasn't paying enough attention. He cursed at himself. He sighed, and took out his phone. He looked at his contacts which consisted of Cabe, Happy, Megan, Paige, Sylvester, Toby, and Marc Collins.

Walter did not want to call Collins for help, but he was the last person available in his contacts list to help. If he wanted help, and he didn't want to be alone, he would have to call Collins. At least get him out of the mental institution. Was it worth the risk though. He would pose a threat to whatever he was about to walk into. Not only would Walter have to protect Collins, but he would have to trust Collins as well. Things did not turn out well the last time he had trusted Collins. He put his phone away, and began packing a bag.

In two hours he was at the airport. He was sitting at the gate, waiting for the plane to come, and take him to England. No one had followed him to the airport, but he assumed he'd pick up a tail in England. He exhaled, and looked at his phone. He stared at Paige's contact for a long time before pressing her number. She didn't pick up, and he didn't expect her to. So he left a message

"Paige. I know you don't want anything to do with me anymore...that hurts. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know if you did want something to do with me again then you should know I'm heading to England, investigating a call I got from a woman claiming to work for Sunbeam. I'm staying in the Queen's Hotel. Probably a trap, but you know...bye,"

He hung up the phone just as they called for him to board. He turned off his phone, picked up his bag, and made his way towards the gate. He was a bit apprehensive about plane flights since the incident with LAX a few months ago, but he pushed it aside. He needed to get to England or else people were going to die. He wasn't going to let that happen, not at his hand, anyway.

He sat down in his seat over the wing. A seat he always tried to get, if he had the choice. He also chose the aisle so if he needed to leave quickly, he could. Once everyone had gotten in, the flight attendant started blabbing about safety regulations, and all that other plane stuff. Walter, and the other passengers who were traveling alone, and had probably heard this lecture hundreds of times, tuned her out. Then they took off. Walter hated to admit it, but he was relieved to not have to travel with Sylvester. That always put an extra amount of stress on him. He exhaled, and put his chair back. Then he fell asleep.

The plane made it to London with no problems. He got out of his chair and stretched before getting his bag from the compartment above the chair. He walked out of the plane, and into the airport. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so he continued on his way. He hadn't checked a bag, so he went right to catch a cab. The man in the cab seemed like a happy english fellow, and he happily took Walter to the hotel.

When Walter arrived, he was a little nervous about what he was going to find. This was the only thing Sunbeam had set up for him, so there was obviously some significance about it. Either there was something in his room, or they just wanted to know where he was. Either way he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to stay in a suite in the Queen's Hotel in London.

He went inside, and checked into his room. Everything was all set for him. He was in room 347. When he arrived at his room, he realized it was the most sequestered room on the floor, which made him more nervous. He slid the key into the door. It quickly, and Walter pulled the handle down. He exhaled, and pushed it opened.

The room was completely dark. the curtains were closed, and all the lights were off, which was odd. Hotel rooms were normally very welcoming. Either this was how they did it in London, or something was up. Before letting the door close, Walter felt for a lightswitch. He found one, and flicked it on.

He saw in front of him a dining room table, and behind that a kitchen, and the rest of the space in the room was taken up by the living room. He ventured inside, letting the door slip closed behind him. He walked past the counter, and saw the closed bedroom door, another odd thing. He reached forward, and pushed the handle down. He pushed the door opened, and saw the bedroom wall.

He went inside slowly. It was normal, there was a bed, and two nightstands. There was a large flat screen mounted on the wall in front of the bed. He turned the lights on, and turned to the left. He saw the bathtub. He moved towards the bathroom door. He pushed it opened. Inside was a toilet, a sink, a shower, and a closet. Everything was completely normal, but there was no doubt in his mind Sunbeam set this up to scare him.

He laughed a little then looked at the bathtub. It was large, large enough to fit him. He tossed his bag on the bed, and started the water. He let it fill up to the top before turning it off. Steam rose off the top of the water. He smiled, and took off his clothes, he submerged himself in the hot water, and relaxed for the first time since Sunbeam's mansion. He sat for a while, just thinking about Paige until he fell asleep.

He woke up to a knock on the door. The water was cold, and Walter's hands and feet were pruned. He pulled himself out of the water, and let it drain. He dried himself off, and put his clothes on. He peered out of the curtains, and saw that the sun was setting. He had really slept for that long. It must've been the jet lag. He opened the door, and stepped out onto his balcony. Of course they hadn't given him a room above the pool, so he couldn't jump and live if he needed to. Then he remembered then that someone knocked at his door. He left his bedroom, and went into the living room. He peered out the peephole, but there was no one there. He stepped back, and a piece of paper crumbled under his foot. He reached down, and picked it up. It had five words on it.

_Good job. Check the closet._

Walter crumbed the note in his fist, and made his way towards the bathroom closet. He waited a moment before pulling the handle. The closet was quite large, but it was completely empty. Except for one thing. There was a chair inside, with a person, a man, sitting in it. He was tied down, with a bag over his head, but he was alive. Walter reached forward, and grabbed the bag. He yanked it off. What he saw, took his breath away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Hang on...Hang on...Hang on! PAIGE AND SYLVESTER ARE RELATED(ep 01x11)?! And I also sometimes forget why they call Scorpion a drama...then they politely(not politely) remind me why it's a drama by almost drowning a KID on CHRISTMAS EVE!(ep 01x12) **

It was Cabe, sitting in the chair, but it was a little less than Cabe. Walter couldn't tell until he moved towards the older man. Then he saw it, and stumbled back. _They had cut his left eye out! _

"Cabe," Walter began freeing his wrists, "what did they do?"

"This wasn't Sunbeam. They were hired by him," Cabe said.

"How do you know?"

"I'm very good at eavesdropping. Plus, there were only two rooms,"

"What did they do?" Walter asked, still in shock.

"What? The eye?" he asked. Walter nodded, and began wetting a washcloth.

"It's a brand," Cabe said, "they do it to everyone they capture before they kill them. Whether they're being paid for it or not. It's so, if the person does get away, they have an easy way of finding them,"

"That's not cool," Walter said. He put the warm, wet washcloth up to Cabe's face, and began scrubbing off the dried blood. Then there was a knock at the door.

"You stay here," Walter said, grabbing his gun.

"I'm in charge here," Cabe said, grabbing his wrist.

"So you wanna go answer the door? With your eye?" Walter asked. Cabe let go of his wrist, and Walter walked out of the bathroom. He took in a breath as he made his way into the living room. He lightly moved towards the door, and looked through the peep hole.

"Sylvester...?" Walter opened the door to see his friend there, holding his left ring finger in his right hand.

"Hey Walter,"

"What are you doing here?" Walter asked. He glanced at Sylvester's hands just as they fell to his sides.

"I felt bad. Leaving you. I decided to come after you,"

"Ok," Walter stepped aside, and Sylvester came quickly into the room. Walter looked down the hall before closing the door. He didn't lock it, and Sylvester did nothing.

"You may not wanna go in the bathroom," Walter said, "Cabe's in there and...he's missing an eye,"

"Oh," Sylvester backed away from the bathroom door, and sat down on the couch. Walter went into the bathroom.

"I think there's someone out there impersonating Sylvester," Walter said to him.

"What?" Cabe asked.

"I'm gonna get you cleaned up, and we're going to go for burgers. You're going to tell the manager it's a matter of US Homeland Security, and that five minutes after our food comes he is to clear the place out. Understood?"

"Yes, but why?"

"I know how to figure out if this is the real Sylvester or not. And if it isn't, I don't want anyone else around,"

Cabe nodded, and stood up. It was the first time he had done so in forty-eight hours. He was a little wobbly, and had to grab the sink for support. Walter finished cleaning the older man's face, and put some gauze over the hole that used to be his eye, and gave him his sunglasses.

"We'll consult doctors when we get home," Walter said. Cabe nodded. Walter walked out into the living room, and looked on the man sitting on the couch. He was ninety-nine percent sure that was not Sylvester. There was still a one percent chance that is was Sylvester. The odds were on his side, but he wasn't going to take that chance. Not with Sylvester, or any member of his team.

"Do you need something?" Sylvester asked, snapping Walter out of his thoughts.

"Just wondering if you wanted to go for burgers. I wanna get out of here," Walter put both hands in his pockets.

"Why?" Sylvester stood up.

"I didn't book this room myself. I'm ninety percent sure it's a trap. I want to spend the least amount of time in here as possible,"

"Ok. Let's go," Sylvester walked towards the door, and opened it. He walked out. Cabe walked up behind Walter.

"That is not Sylvester," he said.

"I'm sure it's not, but I don't want to take the chance," Walter walked out the door, and Cabe followed.

The three sat down in a small diner, and ordered their food. There weren't that many people in there to begin with. After they ordered, Cabe said he needed to go to the bathroom. He came back moments later, and sat down. He then proceed to drop his knife. It was done.

The food came, and Cabe immediately picked up the ketchup, and Walter picked up the mustard. Cabe finished, and set the ketchup down. The diner began emptying. Once the last person was out, Walter offered Sylvester the mustard. He took it, and squirted it onto his bun. He put the bun back on the burger, and bit into it. Walter pulled the gun from his side, and pointed it at Sylvester.

"Walter, what are you doing?" Sylvester asked, putting the burger down.

"Who are you?" he asked, standing up, "because you are _not _Sylvester,"

"You're right," he sat back, "I am curious though, how did you know?"

"One, Sylvester always holds his right ring finger, not his left. Two, he would've immediately locked the door after I closed it. Three, he wouldn't be the first to leave the room. Four, Sylvester hates mustard. Five, he hates public condiments, he brings his own. Six, he always eats five french fries before even touching his burger,"

"They said you were good, but they didn't say you were this good," the fake Sylvester said.

"_I_ am curious about one thing," Cabe stood up, "how did you get to look like him?"

"Didn't he ever tell you?" fake Sylvester asked, "I'm his twin brother,"

Walter and Cabe looked at each other. Then they looked back at the empty seat.

"Just kidding!" a shout came from the door. It was fake Sylvester, making a run for it. The fat was disappearing from his sides. Walter went to run after him.

"Leave him," Cabe said, "why are you even here?"

"I got a call, from a woman. She said that if I didn't come, three people were going to die. I think one of them was Happy,"

"Sunbeam is a big problem. Why haven't you gotten rid of him?"

"I can easily erase him. It'll take one hour," Walter said, "but there has been only one moment where he hasn't had one member of my team, and in that moment, I was too distracted to think about erasing him,"

"Why not erase him then get everyone back?" Cabe asked.

"Because erasing him won't take away his ability to hold a gun," Walter said, "as long as he has access to a gun, a knife, a necklace, a _piece of paper_, he could kill anyone. ANd right now, I am unaware of the whereabouts and condition of five of my team members. I'm not doing until I have them all,"

"There are only six of us. Who's the seventh?" Cabe asked.

"Ralph. He's his own person. We're going back to the hotel. I need to see what the hell Sunbeam wants from me,"

They arrived back at the hotel. The only light on in the room was the TV, and it was a dim light. Someone had been in there. The two men walked over to the TV. It was on the DVD player, and whatever was in the box was stopped. Walter looked at Cabe before picking up the remote. He sucked in a breath before pressing play.

It was worse than he had expected. There were all five of his missing team members. Happy, Sylvester, Paige, Ralph, and Toby, on life support. All five were gagged, and tied to chairs, except for Toby. Toby wasn't gagged, but there was a cannula in his nose, and he was unconscious. And Derek Sunbeam was sitting right in the middle of them.

"Walter O'Brien," He said, "Congratulations, I'm surprised you figured out my spy so quickly. Anyway, I have an offer for you. I released the homeland guy for a reason. If you agree to my terms, he will be allowed to take everyone around me back home. My terms? I just want you. Alone,"

Everyone on the screen seemed to be hearing this for the first time, for all their eyes widened. Paige shook her head, and Sylvester looked as if he might cry. Happy looked like she would kill Sunbeam if she wasn't tied up. Ralph was the only one with just plain fear in his eyes. They all had the fear in their eyes, but Ralph felt no other emotion besides that.

"They'll be alive and well, I'll even let you see them all before we leave. Then you won't be leaving London ever again. It's your choice. If you're not behind the hotel at midnight, I'll assume you just didn't like my offer. And I'll kill them all, starting with her," he pointed at Paige, "then him," he pointed at Toby, "then him," he pointed at Sylvester, "then her," he pointed at Happy, "then him," he pointed at Ralph, "then him," he pointed at the camera. Walter assumed he meant Cabe, "Then your sister. And you'll be free to go forever. I will never bother you again. It's your choice Mr. O'Brien,"

The video ended, and the DVD player started smoking. Walter unplugged it, and went to the window. He opened it, and tossed it out before it set the entire place on fire.

"Do you have a plan?" Cabe asked.

"Of course I do," Walter said, "but there's a one in ten chance it'll actually work,"

**Sorry it's been so long. I just haven't had inspiration. Then I rewatched a few episodes and got some. Also, this story will be coming to an end soon, so I have a summary for two new ones I would like to start when this is done. Tell me which one you like better, and I will have a sneak peek in the next chapter or so of which one was the favorite**

**Story 1:** Ten years later. Ralph is a nineteen year old genius. He's exactly like Walter when he was nineteen years old. Except he is on his own. Toby and Happy had settled down, and moved away. Sylvester was old, and anxious. Paige spent her time taking care of him. And Walter was in an asylum. He had fallen into the rabbit hole. Ralph is completely on his own. Except for the Curtis's fifteen year old daughter, who just so happens to be a genius...

**Story 2:** Based off episode 01x10 "Tailsmen". Paige forced the good luck charm into Walter's hand before he went inside the rebel base. The outcome inside the base was different, and that charm is now more to him than he originally thought.


End file.
